Statements of Faith
I. THE WORD OF GOD
We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, containing the Old and New Testaments, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. It cannot be added to, subtracted from, or superseded in any regard. The Bible is the source of all doctrine, instruction, correction, and reproof.
2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Mark 13:31; John 8:31-32; John 20:31; Acts 20:32
II. THE TRINITY
We believe there is one living and true God, existing eternally and harmoniously in three persons: God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the Three being equal in every divine perfection.
Genesis 1:1, 26; John 1:1-3; Matthew 28:19; John 4:24; Romans 1:19-20; Ephesians 4:5-6
GOD THE FATHER
We believe in God the Father, the Creator and Sustainer of heaven and earth, infinite in wisdom and holiness, measureless in power. He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of mankind; He hears and answers prayers; and He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. In love, He created man in His own image, and after the rebellion and fall of man, He called man back to Himself through Christ.
Matthew 6:9-15; 23:9; Luke 10:21-22; 15:11-32; John 3:16-17; 6:27; Romans 1:7; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; I Timothy 1:1-2; 2:5, 6; 1 Peter 1:3; Revelation 1:6
JESUS CHRIST
We believe that Jesus Christ is eternally God. He is the image of the invisible God, and in Him, all things hold together. He is the begotten Son of God, the Word made flesh. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and coming personal and glorious return to earth.
Isaiah 53:1-6; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38; John 1:1; 20:28; Romans 9:5; 8:32; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:21-23; John 20:30, 31; Matthew 20:28; Ephesians 1:4; Acts 1:11; Romans 5:6-8; 6:9-10; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Timothy 3:16
THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe in the Holy Spirit, who was sent from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ and that He is our abiding Helper, Teacher, and Guide. We believe that the Holy Spirit has the fullness of gifts to bestow upon believers and that these gifts are to operate in a way that edifies the Church. Likewise, the Holy Spirit works in believers to produce spiritual fruit in order that the Church would display true Christlikeness toward one another and to the world.
John 14:16, 17, 26; 15:26, 27; John 16:9-14; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:4; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; 12-14; Galatians 5:22-26
III. SALVATION THROUGH GRACE
We believe that man was created by God in His own image; that man sinned and thereby incurred physical, spiritual, and eternal death, which is separation from God; that as a consequence, all human beings are born with a sinful nature and therefore under condemnation. We believe that man is created in the image of God but, by voluntary disobedience, fell from perfection—thereby permeating humanity with sinfulness. Yet, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us—pardoning all who believe in Him. We, therefore, believe that salvation is God’s gift to us, not based on man’s merit but through faith in the atoning work of Jesus on the cross. Upon sincere repentance and a wholehearted acceptance of Christ and the work of his cross, we are justified before God. We believe that a genuine change takes place in people who accept Christ as Savior; Christ’s life is now to be lived in and through the one who is born-again.
Genesis 3; Isaiah 53:4-6; 64:6; John 3:14-17; Romans 3:23; 5:8-12; 6:23; 8:1; 10:8-10; 2 Cor. 5:17; Ephesians 2:1-10; Galatians 2:16, 20; Titus 3:4-5; 1 John 1:9
IV. THE CHURCH
We believe there is one Church, the Body and Bride of Christ, consisting of believers from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. The mission of the Church is both external and internal and includes both word and deed. Externally, the Church is to proclaim the saving grace of Jesus Christ to a lost world and to impact its community for the glory of God as His ambassadors to the world. Internally, the Church is to make disciples, equipping and teaching believers to walk daily with God, abide in His word, and live in fellowship with one another.
Matthew 28:18-20; John 13:34; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:42; Romans 12:9-21; Ephesians 2:19-22; 5:19-21; Hebrews 10:23-25; 1 John 3:16
V. THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
We believe that a Christian should live for the glory of God and the well-being of his fellow man, that his conduct should be blameless and pure before the world, that he should be a faithful steward of his possessions, and that he should avoid the extremes of fanaticism and pursue a life of balance, gentleness, humility, and maturity in Christ.
1 Corinthians 10:31; Romans 12:1-3; Hebrews 12:1-2; John 14:15, 23-24; 1 John 2:3-6; 2 Corinthians 9:6-9; 1 Corinthians 4:2; Colossians 1:9-10
VI. THE ORDINANCES
We believe the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of the believer into water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Baptism is an outward sign of the inward work of new life in Christ and not a means unto salvation. We believe that the Lord’s Supper was given to us by Christ so that we would partake in fellowship with Him and unity with one another. Together, then, we pause to remember and declare Christ’s sacrificial death until He returns while also examining our own hearts and lives in light of Christ’s saving work.
Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; 1 Corinthians11:23-26
VII. SANCTITY OF LIFE AND MARRIAGE
We believe that human life is sacred, with value and dignity, from conception to its natural end and that we must care for the physical and spiritual needs of our fellowmen. We believe God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as defined in Scripture. We believe that God commands sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other.
Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 2:18-25; Psalm 139:13-16; 1 Cor 6:18; 7:2-5; Heb 13:4; Matt 15:18-20; 1 Cor 6:9-10; Matt 5:16; Phil 2:14-16; 1 Thes. 5:22; Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31
VIII. THE LAST THINGS
We believe in the personal, glorious, and imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body and the final judgment. We believe that hell is the literal place of eternal torment and separation from God for all who reject Christ as Savior and that heaven is the eternal home and joy of those who have embraced Christ as Savior.
Matthew 16:27; Mark 14:62; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; Philippians 3:20; 1 Thessalonians 4:15; 2 Timothy 4:1; Titus 2:13; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 1 Corinthians 15; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; Revelation 20:4-6, 11-15